A primary source is the closest we can come to experiencing what actually happened in a historic time period or during a particular past event. It may be an official document, like a treaty; a record of conditions at the time, like a map or a census; it may be a work of art or an artifact, like a portrait or building; or the observations and opinions of a participant in an event or those of an observer during that time. It may or may not be informed by the outcome: a memoir usually has knowledge of the outcome; a letter often does not. And in some cases, a primary source contains a decidedly biased viewpoint.
Where are Primary Sources hidden?
Finding books of primary sources can be relatively simple, if you take advantage of Subject Headings in library catalogs. Like Dewey numbers, they are the same in most libraries. Below is a table of Library of Congress Subject Heading words and phrases that will identify primary sources.
Catalog Subject Heading
Combined with
Describes
Biography
Person’s name, topics, countries
Biographies AND Autobiographies
Caricatures and cartoons
Topics or countries
Collections of cartoons
Correspondence
Person’s name or group
Letters to and/or from the person or
group
Diaries
Person’s name
Diaries
Interviews
Person’s name
Transcripts of interview(s) or conversation(s)
Maps
Countries, regions, etc.
Individual maps or collections of maps
Personal narratives
Events, names of wars
Memoirs, personal accounts
Pictorial works
People, topics, events, objects
Photographic or picture books
Public opinion
Topics, places, people, groups
Historical research on public
opinion
Sources
Countries or regions, people,
groups, topics
Collections of contemporary sources
assembled later for research
Speeches
People, events, groups
Transcripts of speeches
Statistics
Countries or regions, groups,
topics
Statistics
Treaties
Countries, groups
Texts of treaties
How does the Subject Heading look in the catalog? Ø Maps combined with Countries, regions, etc.
Ex. Europe, Eastern – Historical geography – Maps.
Ø Correspondence combined with Person’s name or group
Ex. Galilei, Galileo, 1564-1642 – Correspondence.
Ø Sources combined with Countries or regions, people, groups, topics
Ex. Women – France – Paris – History - Sources.
What is a Primary Source?
A primary source is the closest we can come to experiencing what actually happened in a historic time period or during a particular past event. It may be an official document, like a treaty; a record of conditions at the time, like a map or a census; it may be a work of art or an artifact, like a portrait or building; or the observations and opinions of a participant in an event or those of an observer during that time. It may or may not be informed by the outcome: a memoir usually has knowledge of the outcome; a letter often does not. And in some cases, a primary source contains a decidedly biased viewpoint.
Where are Primary Sources hidden?
Finding books of primary sources can be relatively simple, if you take advantage of Subject Headings in library catalogs. Like Dewey numbers, they are the same in most libraries. Below is a table of Library of Congress Subject Heading words and phrases that will identify primary sources.
group
opinion
groups, topics
assembled later for research
topics
How does the Subject Heading look in the catalog?
Ø Maps combined with Countries, regions, etc.
Ex. Europe, Eastern – Historical geography – Maps.
Ø Correspondence combined with Person’s name or group
Ex. Galilei, Galileo, 1564-1642 – Correspondence.
Ø Sources combined with Countries or regions, people, groups, topics
Ex. Women – France – Paris – History - Sources.